What Breed Of Small Dog?

[joelle]

Hi PF Would you mind giving me more info on what you know about this :rolleyes: I dont want to hi jack the thread so you can PM me if you like :D hope you dont mind

Start a new thread Joelle - that way you'll get a range of input!!

But think of it this way - if your dog 'guards' you from others like it would guard a bone, how do you think your dog percieves you - as leader or possession?

Thank you, ive started a new thread

[ash&elar]

I would say Cavs, Or a Whippet, though I guess it depends on what size you mean by small and how you existing dogs will get on with what sized dogs???

I think a Cav would make a great lil dog for a young kid, and I actually considered them before I decided on the poodles.

[Tentapride]

Tenterfield Terrier

A big dog in a small package.

Easy care and very loyal dogs. Tenties are smart and would do anything to please you. Tenties also do well at obedience and especially love agility. Most love swimming and have no issue's with big dogs, because they really are big dogs, particularly if they are raised with big dogs.

Children can easily walk most tenties and they adapt to the varying needs of each family member. Happy to be a lounge dog one minute and ready and able to play fetch the next.

I guess I'm a tad biased tho.

[poochmad]

I would recommend a Cavalier or a Sheltie. The Cavalier due to the soft temperament, loves to cuddle, easy to train, gets on well with other dogs. I had one as a child and she was terrific!

The second breed, Sheltand Sheepdog (or Sheltie) are also fantastic (again had a Sheltie), easy to train, good looking, lovely temperament, can be a bit standoffish with strangers, although ours wasn't and excellent watch dogs.

[Zug Zug]

What - no poodles???? (Oh that's ok - they weren't always my cup of tea either, but I love them now)

Would need more information on what kind of child he/she is. Gentle, robust, sporty, whatever.

But from what you've said, I agree JRTs would be great, and maybe a Boston Terrier or something like that. Smaller, loving, but also solid enough to be able to stay on their feet most of the time.

In my experience JRTs are pretty headstrong/sporty. Bostons probably a bit more gentle a lot of the time. Tenterfields or possibly Manchester Terriers as well?

Beagles are great, we had one as teenagers. But they can be very independent and can be quite strong physically, so perhaps not an ideal kid's companion dog...? Depending on the age/preferences of the child? I assume your child will want to teach the dog some funny tricks. A beagle is likely to say 'dream on' and go back to sniffing the ground. They take a bit more effort to train - but it can be done and done well if you're persistent.

Also depends what 'look' you and your child likes. I know it shouldn't be your primary concern, but a dog you and your child consider beautiful and appealing is likely to inspire you both to give it more love and attention. Strange, but true.

I also agree Staffies are great. Yes they are also quite strong. How old is your child?

[Mim]

Research Cardigan welsh corgis, pembroke welsh corgis and swedish vallhunds. All are potentially perfect fits, depending on a few tweaks of your preferences (grooming, exercise, shedding, trainability etc).

Pembrokes and vallhunds, in my experience, are barkers Excellent watch dogs but the problem is they think they need to alert you when they "think" they hear something outside, not just when they are sure there's something outside But training can deal with that. Being gentle on lead is another quality that training would determine.

ETA: I was raised by a vallhund (well my parents did a bit of work too ) and I think she was the best childhood companion I could have wished for. Super gentle and loving, stubborn to no end (which taught me patience!), totally bombproof, cheeky, just so many qualities that made her the perfect dog to grow up with.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Mim

[Baileys mum]

I would say an Australian terrier ticks all your boxes.

Big dog in a little dogs body,very hardy & healthy, personality plus, very affectionate family dogs that are easy to live with, easy to train, easy to groom & are low shedding, are not yappy, but will bark to alert us when strangers come on the property.

They also seem to love children & get along well with other dogs, my dogs adore my nieces & get along well with my BIL's Rottweilers.

[cowanbree]

What about a tibbie?

[Zug Zug]

The more I think about it - Boston Terrier!!!!

[Ons]

I have done lots of research on this in the last year or so as I was considering getting a show dog (who would be foremost a pet) but wanted a small dog that would get on well with two golden retreivers, a coolie and 3 cats. Whilst there are no kids in the equation I was looking at a dog that would be fine with kids. My list came out as

Australian Terrier (still top of it)

Welsh Pembroke Corgi (but the Cardigan corgi could also still be on the list)

and interestingly a tibetan spaniel. And my friend has just got a male tibetan spaniel for her 12 year old, lives in a multi dog, multi kid household and fits in extremely well.

I would also put a cavalier up there as well, only didn't consider that as so many cavaliers being shown. Cavaliers are dogs that adapt so well to everything.

We grew up with Shetland Sheepdogs and they were wonderful family dogs.

[~Anne~]

A Pug would be great.... IF you are ok with shedding and having hair on every surface.

As a Pug rescuer, one of the biggest issues I found that caused people to buy one and then surrender it a year or so later was the shedding.

Really think about it.

Even me, a self-confessed Pug fanatic of more than 34 years has finally come to the conclusion that after my guys are gone, I am done with dog hair. If I get another dog, it will be one that hardly or rarely sheds hair.

[mackiemad]

i second the tenterfield terrier but will also say perhaps a mini schnauzer?

all mini schnauzer's that i've known are fab with kids and they are really companion dogs (though ratting is rad in their books too) and although i have a bigger one, many are quite small. but i'm not sure if they are lumped in with the poodles and the like because they need attention with their coat (though i only brush mine once a week, and get the burrs etc out of his coat most nights when he is on my lap). they can bark, but mine only barks when someone rings the doorbell

Edited November 8, 2010 by mackiemad

[Nik]

Definitely agree with the Aussie terrier. I got one when I was 12 as my own dog (my sister also got his litter brother). Both dogs were happy for us to take them for walks by ourselves, and they were never too strong for us. I trained my boy myself, and although my mum probably took care of most of the feeding, he knew he was my dog. He lived to a ripe old 17, loyal to the end. Gosh I miss him ;(

They also never felt intimidated by bigger dogs, and never felt the need to "assure" them they were dogs too- they were just themselves, small dogs with the heart of big ones!

[Guest]

What about a Border Terrier?

I've met two and both seemed like great little dogs (both owners also had big dogs) - very friendly and happily playing with our lab puppy.

I've since read up on them (might be our second dog of choice) and they sound like great, robust little dogs.

[julzjc]

julzjc:

PF you mentioned papillions. Off topic-My boy was possesive but it was not his fault, he was stolen from my yard and severly beaten as a 6mth pup by some 16yr olds. However a couple other paps I met were quite possesive of their owner although I am pretty sure they were products of being "babied", do paps lean towards being protective of one owner?

I'd have to call my experience limited but I find them to be very smart, quite outgoing and inclined to take the lead if their owners fail to. Sounds a little like your Pap's issues might have been fear related - when did he display possessiveness - was it at home or around strangers.

He may have been like the fear aggressive dogs who display aggression to keep other dogs away. Honestly what kind of young man beats a toy dog FFS.. just sick. :

Try 5/6 x 16yr olds laying their boots into him. Not only that, they knew they were stealing him from a parapalegic man that was confined to a wheelchair (my dad), truely sick individuals.

[julzjc]

My dogs adapt their play with smaller dogs. They do wrestle alot together but Indie simple doesnt play with smaller dogs and Bonnie lies down or has her bum sticking up in the air so she can play at their level. She will gently mouth play if the small wants to but otherwise she is very gentle with them. Even with rabbits inside they just lie down and lick/ignore them so I think a toy/small would be safe.

Mmmmm

Ok, breeds to investigate-

Paps ( If I can find breeders that are willing to consider me)

Cairn- I knew a few of these back in Scotland, such cheeky, sweet little dogs even in old age.

Aussie- Never met one but have the feeling they are a little similar in temperment to the Cairn?

Tibbie- I know my dad reasearched them and wanted to own one as he thought they were kid friendly dogs but I have absolutly no idea about them other than their origins and looks.

Corgi- Never even crossed my mind before but seem like a fantastic childrens breed now that I think about it. What is their trainability like?

Boston & Pug- Personally think they are perfect childrens dogs, not sure if Miss girly girl would love their uniqueness, will need to explore further at dog shows. Shedding is deffinatly not an issue with an indoor Sibe and Amstaff . Although Im not sure if I can handle any more snoring in the house .

Shetland sheepdog- I LOVE them! Well I am a patriotic Scot after all. My mum owns a Rough Collie (my dream Breed), love him! Arent Shelties quite shy of strangers, visiting children, other dogs? Would it be stressed by my two larger dogs?

Tenties- Again I had never considered them. Need to do some reasearch on them, I though they may have a similar (for lack of better words at 3am) hyperactivity/stubborn streak like JRTs? Big dog in a little dogs body seems perfect but do they still like being molly cuddled at times?

My eldest is a very mature 5yr old right now but more than likely she will be around the 7-10yr margin when we bring another dog into our home. She is, hard to describe, girly girl/ dainty/ likes pretty/delicate things, extremly active imagination. But yet she will still wrestle with her sister and brothers. Still trains our Amstaff by telling her to drop her tug, sit/stay, *throws tug* "go get it Bonnie". "Bonnie drop" etc, then rewards her with a treat or a gentle game of tug, as soon as she says "Bonnie drop", our Amstaff drops it even in the middle of a tug game so she has good command over the dogs.

Solia used to have a major fear of dogs, 3labs lunging and trying to attack her through a glass door when she was two, these were dogs that 2minutes before hand she was playing with happy inside, fantastic dogs inside but they had major guarding issues when placed outside and people were inside. Although she loves our dogs, it is not unconditional, unlike her sister and brothers that are 100% boomproof with the dogs. Example, if they are sitting/lying on the floor and one or both dogs come over and crowd them, our other children(younger) just say "Aww Bonnie/Indie, I love you, come lie down and have cuddles" and will continue lying on the floor or just hand signal form them to lie down. Solia will still get up and move up onto the sofa untill the dogs lie down or stand up and cross her arms/turn her back on them and tell them to go back into their beds. The dogs respect her and obey her but it seems conditional for her, if the dogs are gentle and moving lazily then she loves them and lures them into games of hide and seek, fetch, cuddles, pretend play etc. If she thinks the dogs are annoying her in her activity or too excited around her then she does the "stand and ignore" or "bed" untill they settle..lol good kid training huh? Its a good reaction to have in an uncomfortable dog situation but still I doubt she will have the same bond with them that our other kids do. Small/Toy dogs are a completly different story, she has a world of confidence with them and really bonds with every one that she meets. The bond she has with any dog of a comfortable size for her is truely amazing to watch, I really feel for her that she can't have that true bond with our large dogs.

[poodlefan]

Julzjc:

Corgi- Never even crossed my mind before but seem like a fantastic childrens breed now that I think about it. What is their trainability like?

Highly trainable as a rule. They're a proper little working breed.

[corvus]

I reckon corgis and shelties are great little family dogs. But I think it pays with shelties to really research your lines. They can be quite highly strung. My mum has one that used to redirect to the nearest leg when she was frightened. This same sheltie is very confident around strangers, though, and the local vet often comments that she is one of the nicest shelties he knows. He says most he sees are overly shy.

Corgis are very easy to train, but can be a bit cheeky. My old girl had this way of breaking the rules with lots of playful body language. It was thoroughly charming and she usually fell in line when I asked the second time, but she'd test everyone this way and if they didn't insist she'd cheerfully ignore them from then on.

[greytpets]

I would have to suggest the JRT. From my experience they love children & are very tolerant of them. They do well with larger dogs & are happy to be lap dogs. Yes, they can have a stubborn streak but with training they are great little dogs.

[poodlefan]

I reckon corgis and shelties are great little family dogs. But I think it pays with shelties to really research your lines. They can be quite highly strung. My mum has one that used to redirect to the nearest leg when she was frightened. This same sheltie is very confident around strangers, though, and the local vet often comments that she is one of the nicest shelties he knows. He says most he sees are overly shy.

Corgis are very easy to train, but can be a bit cheeky. My old girl had this way of breaking the rules with lots of playful body language. It was thoroughly charming and she usually fell in line when I asked the second time, but she'd test everyone this way and if they didn't insist she'd cheerfully ignore them from then on.

Agree. Shyness in a lot of dogs was the reason I didn't recommend one.